NEW DELHI: Humayunpur village is in ferment. The citizens of this city village close to Safdarjung Enclave, who all the time considered the Tughlaq-era tomb in the middle of the locality as a temple, just lately painted it white and saffron. They also underlined the development’s authentic status as a temple via striking idols of Krishna and Radha in it. The fact that this development is in reality a indexed heritage development and a 15th century tomb has had no relevance to the villagers. That is why reclaiming the monument from the community goes to be a difficult task for the state archaeology department. Delhi executive, it's learnt, plans to hotel an FIR and take back the monument as part of its conservation plans for town’s unprotected monuments.
A commentary from deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Friday mentioned, “Causing harm and harm to a heritage belongings is illegal and a major offence. It is the duty of the state archaeology department to ensure the security of heritage monuments indexed below it and take strict actions in case of a lapse. The reported incident must be handled with zero tolerance via the department as it now not most effective violates heritage similar rules however is also an attempt to disturb peace and team spirit in the space.”
The minister added that the secretary of the art, tradition and language department has been asked to provide him with an in depth document via Saturday, at the side of details of the case and the motion taken.
A dusty plaque outside the arched structure defines it as a Shiv Bhola temple since June 15, 1971. “This development has all the time been a temple. As a child, I used to come back right here regularly with my mom and have been seeing the villagers worshipping right here. Only the statues of Radha and Krishan are recent additions,” claimed septuagenarian Chaudhary Prem Raj, a resident. Villagers admit to creating the external changes a couple of months in the past however it was done as a way to “give protection to the development”.
“The development was in a poor form and the village wanted to do something,” explained Amit, another resident. “Money got here thru donations, and with the assistance of our space councillor we were given the two statues installed in the structure. Work was also done at the exteriors as neatly.” The villagers amassed about Rs 35,000 for the two-ft-tall statues. People say the development already had a Shiv Ling.
Radhika Abrol Phogat, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation councillor for Safdarjung Enclave, on the other hand, denied any involvement in the issue. “In the 5 years I've lived right here, I by no means knew the temple was a heritage structure,” Phogat mentioned. “The native people were given it painted just lately, and I've not anything to do with it. I'm being targeted for no reason.”
The structure has tiles with pictures of Hindu gods at the external walls close to the gate. Housewives Reshama and Aarti informed TOI that aarti was performed twice on a daily basis in the morning and night time on the ‘temple’. Others claimed it had a dedicated priest who got here in twice a day, however TOI was unable to make sure this. “The ‘temple’ is opened just for aarti products and services. It is kept locked at other time due to the specter of vandalism,” mentioned Amit.
According to the listing of heritage buildings compiled via Zafar Hasan in the 1912, the structure is a tomb of an unknown particular person. “The development is used as a fodder store via villagers and its doors are stuffed in with earth and rubble,” reads the outline from the 1920s. Sometime later, it sounds as if that the development began to be used as a temple.
Intach Delhi bankruptcy had indexed the structure as an unprotected monument in 2016. “It was included in Phase III of the conservation plan, however shall we now not start work because our groups all the time discovered the monument below lock and key,” mentioned an Intach authentic. “We reported the topic to the archaeology department, which contacted the police officers.”
Read this tale in Bengali
A commentary from deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Friday mentioned, “Causing harm and harm to a heritage belongings is illegal and a major offence. It is the duty of the state archaeology department to ensure the security of heritage monuments indexed below it and take strict actions in case of a lapse. The reported incident must be handled with zero tolerance via the department as it now not most effective violates heritage similar rules however is also an attempt to disturb peace and team spirit in the space.”
The minister added that the secretary of the art, tradition and language department has been asked to provide him with an in depth document via Saturday, at the side of details of the case and the motion taken.
A dusty plaque outside the arched structure defines it as a Shiv Bhola temple since June 15, 1971. “This development has all the time been a temple. As a child, I used to come back right here regularly with my mom and have been seeing the villagers worshipping right here. Only the statues of Radha and Krishan are recent additions,” claimed septuagenarian Chaudhary Prem Raj, a resident. Villagers admit to creating the external changes a couple of months in the past however it was done as a way to “give protection to the development”.
“The development was in a poor form and the village wanted to do something,” explained Amit, another resident. “Money got here thru donations, and with the assistance of our space councillor we were given the two statues installed in the structure. Work was also done at the exteriors as neatly.” The villagers amassed about Rs 35,000 for the two-ft-tall statues. People say the development already had a Shiv Ling.
Radhika Abrol Phogat, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation councillor for Safdarjung Enclave, on the other hand, denied any involvement in the issue. “In the 5 years I've lived right here, I by no means knew the temple was a heritage structure,” Phogat mentioned. “The native people were given it painted just lately, and I've not anything to do with it. I'm being targeted for no reason.”
The structure has tiles with pictures of Hindu gods at the external walls close to the gate. Housewives Reshama and Aarti informed TOI that aarti was performed twice on a daily basis in the morning and night time on the ‘temple’. Others claimed it had a dedicated priest who got here in twice a day, however TOI was unable to make sure this. “The ‘temple’ is opened just for aarti products and services. It is kept locked at other time due to the specter of vandalism,” mentioned Amit.
According to the listing of heritage buildings compiled via Zafar Hasan in the 1912, the structure is a tomb of an unknown particular person. “The development is used as a fodder store via villagers and its doors are stuffed in with earth and rubble,” reads the outline from the 1920s. Sometime later, it sounds as if that the development began to be used as a temple.
Intach Delhi bankruptcy had indexed the structure as an unprotected monument in 2016. “It was included in Phase III of the conservation plan, however shall we now not start work because our groups all the time discovered the monument below lock and key,” mentioned an Intach authentic. “We reported the topic to the archaeology department, which contacted the police officers.”
Read this tale in Bengali
Tomb to temple: Tale of Delhi's monumental neglect
![Tomb to temple: Tale of Delhi's monumental neglect]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
May 06, 2018
Rating:
